East of our last state park is this lovely park named Magnolia Springs. Magnolia after the beautiful magnolia trees in Georgia, and Springs because the crystal-clear springs here flows 7 to 9 million gallons each day. We even got a good view of this alligator sunning itself.
Magnolia Springs State Park is east of Macon and south of Augusta (for those of you who live in Georgia).
So glad it was on the other side of the creek from where we were!
This post covers the stream coming from the springs, what the CCC did at the park, a couple of walks, and a look at our life on the road.
This graceful tree is often found in old hardwood forests with deep shade. Large creamy-white flowers give off a deep fragrance.
Wish this Magnolia tree were more in bloom so you could see the white flowers.
Such a beautiful view as we drove into the park. My pictures don’t do it justice, so you’ll just have to take my word that the sun shining through the trees and the live oaks with Spanish moss hanging down is a sight to see.
This building now houses the museum that was originally built by the CCC but has since been remodeled and updated.
Here’s the first poster that we saw as we started walking around. Read on for more info.
In the 1930s, the CCC selected this spot as an ideal place for a park because of the springs. In 1864 during the Civil War, the spring was one of the key reasons for locating a Civil War prison camp here named Camp Lawton. The springs provided prisoners with clean water for drinking, bathing, and washing away the human waste produced by the over 10,000 prisoners.
We’ll learn about Camp Lawton in the next 2 posts.
Springs flowing under their own power so that don’t need to be pumped are called artesian springs. The origins for these springs are deep beneath the surface of the earth in the Floridan Aquifer, a thick layer of very porous limestone that lies about 400 feet below the surface of the ponds they produce.
This isn’t the first place with natural springs that we found in Georgia. The other one (so far) is Warm Springs made famous by Franklin Roosevelt.
FDR first came to Warm Springs, Georgia, in 1924 seeking a cure for polio. Arriving in October, he started swimming in the spring-fed ponds at once. For the first time since he had become paralyzed, he could move his left leg. He eventually purchased the inn that made the springs available and its property. Here he established Warm Springs Rehabilitation Institute that’s still in existence.
We’ve been to these warm springs and the Little White House where he stayed during his presidency. Nearby is the Roosevelt State Park that was also built by the CCC.
When we visited the springs, we were able to put our fingers in the water; it was warm, cooler than I expected. I’m sure the water felt great while he was expending energy swimming.
Along with the warm springs, Roosevelt was impressed by those who lived in the town and the surrounding countryside and their struggle to survive. Health problems, lack of education, poor working conditions, low wages, harmful agricultural practices, joblessness, and oppression were all motivations for his New Deal programs like the CCC.
back to our park
Between 1939 and 1941, the CCC built Magnolia Springs by planting trees, developing a picnic area, and installing dams to create 2 lakes on the property. They also built a swimming pool (not sure where it is yet) and a casino, a building used for recreational activities such as table tennis and dancing. The museum building we showed you at the beginning of the post is the original CCC casino that’s been remodeled (!) through the years.
I hadn’t noticed this spot that would have been good for a swimming pool until we were at the dump site to leave the park. Across the street was this enclosed round, cement area with covered seats around the fence. I walked over and found that it’s a splash pool—probably on the original site of the swimming pool. It’s not open yet because of Covid-19.
Georgia state parks built by the CCC
Here’s the uniform worn by CCC workers; we were glad to see it since it’s our first look at what they wore day-in and day-out.
Outside of the museum is this dam and runoff area. Campground neighbors said they saw lots of fish in this area where the water spills over the dam. But no was fishing allowed. This is also the general area where we saw the alligator we showed you at the beginning of the post.
view downstream toward the highway and upstream toward the dam
Now we see the sign. Luckily we hadn’t fed any alligators or gone fishing here.
hikes in the state park
This lovely view of the park’s second lake takes us to the starting point of our first hike.
We’ll be walking on Beaver Trail.
When we saw this sign, we got out our repellent. Good reminder!
The alligator is North America’s largest reptile and king on the food chain. It’s roamed our planet for over 180 million years and is as close to a dinosaur as we’ll ever get. This sign says they can climb trees. Really? I looked it up online, and it can happen, especially for younger (and smaller) alligators.
While their top speed on land is 10-11 mph for a short distance, they are explosively quick. On water they can swim up to 20 mph! Gators can stay under water for up to 24 hours in the right conditions.
Alligators are known as a keystone species (like we saw about gopher tortoises at one of our first state parks) because if they leave an environment, an entire ecosystem can change. Their abandoned burrows are used by numerous species for survival. As predators they keep other species in check.
A gator’s downward bite comes with about 3000 pounds of force. It spins in the water (known as a death roll) to subdue its prey in its mouth. Females can lay an average of 35 eggs a year, and only 20% of this offspring can survive due to other animals enjoying them as dinner. Mama gator is very maternal and watches over her kids for about 2 years. Then the maternal instinct turns off and even she may go for her young (this info came from another state park where we stayed a couple of years ago).
As we started walked, we saw some new signs along the way. So interesting to see what animals live in this part of Georgia.
A member of the dog family, the gray fox can climb trees to escape from danger.
Raccoons must have taught us about the practice of dipping food into sauces because they sometimes dunk their food in the water before eating. (little joke there)
This observation deck would have been much more interesting if we could actually see more through the trees that have grown up all around us. Now we can barely see anything.
The one view (that doesn’t show well) is this waterlily pond. It really was lovely with the white flowers on top of the green plants.
This tree’s long needles were used by Native Americans to make baskets; colonists tapped the trunk for tar, pitch, and turpentine. Today this fast-growing pine has nearly vanished from the landscape since we can make baskets in other ways and get the trees’ products elsewhere.
one of the hawks in this park
Here’s the view in front of the hawk sign; no hawks in sight.
An opportunistic feeder, the red fox eats almost anything from insects to rabbits, with fruits and berries for dessert.
Didn’t see any red foxes in the woods in front of us either.
Barney leading the way on the trail; yes, sometimes I do walk first, but I stop so often to take pictures that I slow us down.
Bobcats are about twice the size of an ordinary house cat.
This sign for walk-in camping sites is next to our campsite. While the sign says walk-in, we did see people drive in over the weekend.
On our walk through the woods we got to see one of the walk-in sites. No electricity, but they do have water.
woodpecker trail
A shorter trail, it took us closer to the lake.
This is 1 of the 3 types of woodpeckers that call this area home. The others are the downy woodpecker and the red-headed woodpecker.
Nope, we didn’t hear the distinctive sound of a woodpecker.
These 3 animals can create such a chorus of sound in the woods. Last night the sounds of the cicadas were almost overwhelming as we sat outside to read.
We think this is a bird nest built for small birds. A number of them were along this trail.
The gopher tortoise and the American toad make their homes here.
As we were walking along, we saw this build-up of sticks in the stream. Barney thinks that small sticks have been caught in larger sticks; I think it’s a beaver home. Barney’s probably right.
Deer and black bears are also in the park. We did see one deer at a distance, but no black bears—thank goodness.
Interesting to read this information on the natural food chain that starts with the sun and ends with larger predators like the red-tailed hawk.
The trail’s most striking feature is this boardwalk that spans the springs. The water is absolutely crystal-clear as you’ll soon see.
our view from the boardwalk
These lovely, delicate dragonflies can fly as fast as 60 mph.
Yes, these turtles are actually under water. Amazing how clear it is!
When we first stood at this spot, we only saw 1 turtle. Within a few minutes 4 turtles were swimming here. A few minutes later, we counted 12 turtles. They might have been looking for food; we don’t know if their hearing is that good or if they sense movement. Good question for the ranger.
As we left the park for our next adventure, I stopped in at the ranger station and asked them about the turtles coming to us. He said they’re looking for food since so many people feed them (which isn’t a good idea). They might be able to see our large shadows as we walked along, but probably they felt the vibrations as we walked along the boardwalk. Glad to have an answer!
Now we know. These turtles travel in families.
Largemouth bass are also in this small lake (the lake by our campground is larger). See the turtles coming to visit us on the left?
Okay, because of the markings on the shell, the yellow-bellied slider must be the turtles we see in the lake who had come over to visit.
What I like about this sign is that it shows how deep the limestone bedrock goes that provides water for the park.
At this stop we’re about 20 feet from where the springs come from in this nearly 950-acre park. Without the springs, the park probably wouldn’t be here and the nearby town of Millen might never have been created.
Most of the water comes from a depth of 250 feet and has an average temperature of 72 degrees F throughout the year. This area has been shaped around the springs, just as many small towns in Georgia have been founded by or near a river, lake, or springs.
lovely metal bridge across the waterway (closed off at the other end)
view from the bridge
Here’s a better view downstream. The water eventually flows into the Ogeechee River that empties into the Atlantic Ocean just south of Savannah.
On the other side of the bridge is this small pond.
As we started walking back to our campground, we saw this still closed Nature Center. I peeked inside through the windows and saw a number of displays that I wish we could have seen up close.
The park has 5 cabins like this home that can be rented. These cabins even have free-standing swings for the visitors to enjoy.
Back home at our RV, I wanted to show you this metal pool in the shape of a tired T. We had seen these in other campgrounds and didn’t know what they were for—maybe for lanterns? But in this campground we saw people hanging their garbage bags from the hooks at the end of the curved pipe. Makes sense. Think we’ll stay with our inside garbage can.
life on the road
While on the road, we still get to do the normal tasks of grocery shopping, cooking, and laundry. Sometimes we even have to get some medical help. At Skidaway Island, Barney got a spider bite that got serious enough that we found an urgent care doctor to look at it. Not a problem, phew.
At this campground, I must have been bit by a fire ant or some other insect. This blister got so big that we went into the small town of Millen (just over 3000 people live there) to the ER at the hospital since the town didn’t seem to have an urgent care. We try to stay away from ERs when we don’t really have an emergency, but we’re glad we went to this one.
blister kept getting bigger and bigger
Everyone we met on the ER staff were so friendly and helpful. Tina took good care of me and drained the blister. Yea!
Ah, relief from the pressure of the swollen skin.
help from a cell booster
We’ve found that cell phone coverage is okay with LTE supporting a hotspot from one of our phones so we can watch TV. But I haven’t been able to work on these blog posts at our campsites since I need more speed for downloading and uploading pictures. Usually the lack of speed meant I had to find a location at the park office or in town at a restaurant to work on the posts. But I’d rather work here in the RV early in the morning or late in the afternoon, whenever I want to. So Barney bought us a cell booster for this trip, and it’s been great. With almost full bars, our phones’ hotspots work like a hot knife through butter. Yahoo! Now I can get all my work done at “home.”
In the next 2 posts we’ll look at a slice of history in this park from the Civil War days.
